Disease and cold temperatures killed nearly 30 sloths at a Florida import warehouse in 2024 and 2025, according to a state report. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission inspection report from August states that a wildlife facility called Sanctuary World Imports in Orlando ordered 21 sloths from Guyana. They died after overnight temperatures in the warehouse fell to 46 degrees in late December 2024. The business ordered another 10 sloths from Peru. Two sloths were dead when they arrived and the other eight succumbed to what the report called “poor health issues.” Peter Bandre, listed in the report as the business' licensee, told inspectors that the warehouse was not ready to receive sloths during cold weather and that he would be looking for a new veterinarian.

The American chestnut is a singular, iconic tree of the eastern United States. It was majestic, supported animals that lived under it and provided valuable timber. It was everywhere. But then it started dying. A fungal blight and root rot devastated the species by the 1950s. Efforts to breed disease-resistant American chestnuts have been challenging, but DNA sequencing offers hope. Arborists aim to restore the species, envisioning a future where it thrives in forests, independently of humans, once more.

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South Sudan is trying to rebuild its six national parks and 13 game reserves, which cover more than 13% of the country’s terrain, following the five-year civil war that ended last year after killing nearly 400,000 people. A fragile peace deal still has key steps to carry out.